An Immortal Love
by Sky King Haruka Tenoh
Summary: Willow is a tortured vampire who seeks the redemption of her soul so she can be reunited with her lost love in the afterlife, but what happens when she encounters her lover reborn? Will death be Willow's only salvation?
1. Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned

Disclaimer: I took Joss Whedon's BtVS characters and put them in the world of the TV series Gabriel, which was created by Agustin and Roberto Alarcon. Like Joss, they're wonderful and I'm in no way taking ownership of this. I'm toying with an idea I had of combining both worlds by adding my own twist.

A/N: Just a brief heads up. I know that in BtVS Willow is Jewish, but for the purpose of this fanfic she won't be and you'll see why as you read along.

* * *

 _I was born Willow Rosenberg, but that woman disappeared a long time ago. She died along with the only woman I have ever loved when they ripped her from my life over three hundred years ago. That night I buried her and, with her, any hope for a normal life. Now I walk through the night with the memory of that love and the hope that my soul will one day join hers. Time and human desires do not interest me, for I'm dead, and I only breathe to love her once again…  
_

Chapter I: Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned

The final chimes of bells and hymns announced that it was time to close the church doors. Father Michael was putting out the candles from the high altar when a fast moving shadow caught his sight. Looking over his shoulder, he saw nothing. And so he quickly dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. He turned back ready to put out more candles when a cool breeze swept by him, and this time he could swear by all the 'Heavenly Fathers' that he had indeed seen something. At his age he wouldn't be surprised if it was simply some crazed teenagers trying to scare him, but, just as a precaution measure, he grabbed a candleholder and walked down the red carpeted steps of the altar.

"Who's there?" His voice echoed through the old church walls. "Hello?" Still he received no answer. Making his way down the red aisle, he glanced around seeing the church was empty. Eerie silence had filled the church, not the peaceful silence of closing time, and Father Michael began getting impatient. "We're closed," he said in a much louder voice. "Even Our Lord needs to rest at night."

Reaching the church doors, he double-checked that the doors were locked. Seeing no one had tampered with them since he last checked them at closing time, he started questioning if maybe his exhaustion was getting the better of him. Glancing over at the confessional, he saw light and movement. For a moment he hesitated and instead went against his better judgment. Setting the candleholder aside, on a high table, he fidgeted with a small yet heavy statue of St. Michael, the Archangel. He was beginning to think this wasn't a teenage hoax, and that it was possibly turning into something else. Gathering the candleholder once again along with his fading courage, he kept talking.

"It's late, and you shouldn't be here." Fear coursed through his veins, since he didn't know what he was facing, "I'm n-not sure what you're looking for, but this is a very poor church…there's n-nothing v-valuable here." Silently, he cursed his inability to remain firm and brave in a faceless danger as he approached the confessional. He knew someone was there, but no one seemed to answer.

Standing in front of the confessional, he was able to make out a figure, "Are you hungry?" he asked, slightly concerned. The mysterious visitor still remained silent. "Well, since you won't answer me, come back tomorrow. We give out soups and small meals all day." Father Michael waved the candleholder and whispered, "God helps those who help themselves."

Saying a silent prayer, he stepped into the confessional. He was startled by a young woman's voice saying, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

Father Michael was stunned. He still couldn't see a face, but the voice was that of an angel, yet filled with such sorrow. Taking a seat, he prepared to listen as the young woman continued to speak, "It has been three hundred years since my last confession, and a century has passed since the last time I killed a man."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely this girl was under the influence of some illegal substance. The words spilling from her lips made no sense. Concerned for her well-being, he encouraged her to go on while he discreetly reached for his cell phone.

The young woman continued to speak, her voice more distant and sad than before, "I'm lost, Father. Loneliness reigns over my days, desperation fills my nights, and I walk alongside death. My life is empty, without light, without hope, without love."

The aged priest felt something inside him stir; he had never heard something so…heartbreaking. He said the only thing he could say in his line of duty, "God loves us all, my child."

"Not me!" The statement came out angry, almost like a growl.

Father Michael stepped out of the confessional to see if he could find the girl. Not seeing her anywhere, he tried calling the cops. As he did so, he saw a large shadow swirling around him as he stepped further away from the confessional and down the red-carpeted aisle of the church. Stumbling his way through the church, he tried speaking into the phone, but his call kept breaking up, and the operator kept asking him to repeat himself. In the end, he gave up and tossed his phone aside. The shadow drew closer, and he tripped and landed on the steps in front of the altar. Shaking and sweating from fear, Father Michael slowly looked up as the shadow materialized into his soon to be executioner.

A young woman stood there gazing down at him with hard green eyes. Long and layered red tresses framed her soft yet pale face. She was clad in black dress pants with a red silk top hidden beneath a black jacket. Fearing for his life, he did the only thing he knew; he reached for his cross on his neck and stared at the creature in front of him. Slowly standing, he spoke what he thought to be his last words, "By the sign of the Holy Cross, My Lord, free us from all our enemies..." Michael trembled as he said these words and looked into those hypnotizing green eyes, but he didn't back down. "Our Lord, creator of the heavens and earth, bless all of those-" The woman wrapped her cold hands against his trembling ones and finished the prayer in Latin. Shock didn't come close to what Father Michael was feeling. This being, this unholy creature could speak the words of God, walk into His place of worship and hold the cross she had now taken from his hands. This went against everything he knew—all the scriptures and myths. He just wanted to know…who was she? By the heavens, _what_ was she?

His internal dilemma was interrupted when she held him at arm's length and looked into his old brown eyes. Her ageless emeralds were pooling with tears of centuries gone by. "Save me, Father." With those words, the young woman fell to her knees, begging for the salvation of her damned soul.

* * *

 _Women and children ran through a green forest in the dead of the night. Screams and gunshots echoed all around them. The sounds were terrifying and, even amongst all the greenery; there was nowhere to hide. These Christian mercenaries had passed God's judgment on them all. They had condemned them for what they were, gypsies. Their possessions had been seized and all their men had been arrested, tortured, or killed. They called them heathens, but who shed all this blood in a deity's name? They had kept to themselves and stayed away from the cities as the law had stated. Therefore, they couldn't understand why they were being hunted for sport like animals. One woman, named Tamara, looked to her granddaughter who looked terrified._

" _No matter what happens, no matter what you see, I want you to run. Do not let these animals find you, Nadya. Do you understand me?"_

 _The young girl nodded, but this felt like goodbye and she didn't want to lose her grandmother too. Tamara took off her necklace and gave it to her granddaughter._

" _Take this with you. Never forget where you come from. Don't ever forget who you are."_

 _Holding her granddaughter for the last time, she placed a kiss to her forehead and ran in the opposite direction. Nadya stood silently weeping at being left alone with a necklace as the only thing to remember who she was and who should have been by her side for the rest of her life. She saw her grandmother walking away and a group of mercenaries intercepted her. She wanted to scream, but she remembered agreeing to her grandmother's terms. She promised she wouldn't let them find her, but she hoped they wouldn't hurt her grandmother. When she saw who led that particular group of mercenaries her hopes vanished. Angel was leading that group. Even though he had an angelic face, he was the most ruthless and bloodthirsty of them all. Her grandmother pulled out a small ancient tablet and rapidly spoke in what Nadya recognized as Romanian. Angel drew closer, a clear smirk on his face._

" _I curse you." Tamara said, her angry voice could barely be heard. "I curse you!"_

" _Do you love life?" Angel asked calm as ever. "I hope you do." Plunging his sword into Tamara, he laughed and said, "I simply don't find pleasure in killing those who don't love life."_

 _Nadya held her scream as she saw Angel decapitate her grandmother right before her eyes. Hiding in the shadows, she made her escape and never looked back.  
_

* * *

Tara rose from her nightmare. It was like living in a history horror movie that she couldn't escape. She looked at the patient on the bed and saw her finally open her eyes and smile at her.

"It was just a dream…a really bad dream…"

" _Tara…"_

"Then why…"

" _Tara."_

Tara jolted wide awake and looked at Mrs. Thompson, who remained in a comatose state. The blonde's phone was ringing, and she quickly checked it, hoping she wouldn't get in trouble for having it on and for sleeping on the job. Seeing it was Buffy, she answered it while her other hand quickly reached for the gold necklace around her neck.

"Hey, Buffy. What's up?" In an effort to calm down, Tara kept toying with the necklace.

"Tara. Tara, are you okay?" Buffy had a voice of panic on the other end of the line, so Tara tried her best to calm her down.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

"Girl, I just had the worst nightmare about you! And I've been calling, and you didn't answer! I thought-"

"Buffy! Calm down. I-I don't…I don't really have time to talk right now. I'm actually very busy at the moment." Tara knew she was lying to her friend, but she really couldn't afford getting into trouble. Plus the idea of both of them having ominous nightmares was really giving her the creeps.

"You're a terrible liar, Tara Maclay. Fine, but I have a feeling you're going to have a horrible night."

"Buffy."

"Yeah?"

"I work in an emergency room. Every night is a horrible night here."

The girl on the other line seemed to give in to Tara's reasoning, "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will."

"Be careful, Tara. I'm serious. Okay?"

Tara heard footsteps and decided to end the conversation quickly, "We'll talk later."

"Okay."

Looking back at Mrs. Thompson, Tara wondered if she had really seen her wake up, or if it was all part of her dream. She stood from her seat and checked her vitals, but no change in her condition.

"Tara, what the heck are you doing?" a blonde woman in a green nurse's uniform walked in questioning why Tara looked so interested in a comatose patient.

"I-I thought Mrs. Thompson had woken up from her coma."

The other nurse looked at Tara as if she had grown a second head. "Tara, are you crazy? This old hag has been in a coma for over a month."

Tara tried playing it off. She had honestly forgotten how crude her co-worker could be. "Anya, I really thought she'd woken up and smiled at me."

Anya threw her hands in the air. "Woman! This is a broccoli."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Got to love your work ethic."

"Ladies, please, no fighting." A young doctor by the name of Riley Finn walked in. "Stephanie called in sick, so we'll be short handed again today. I hope you two are ready," the doctor walked off, missing Anya's sexually charged comment.

"Oh. My. God. What a man…I could eat him alive." Anya caught the look Tara was giving her, "What?"

The shy blonde giggled. "Nothing."

"Tara, you know what your problem is? You need to get laid. We need to find you a hot lesbian and make you have hot lesbian sex with her." Tara turned bright red and looked away as Anya walked out the door.

* * *

A disfigured man clothed in rags wandered on the outside of the church circling the only car parked out front. Lights from inside the church still burned brightly, and the scarred man stealthily made his way to the back trying to find some sort of entrance. He indeed found an old patched up windowpane. It was enough for him. Careful to make no noise, he removed the wood boards and quietly slipped into the building. He was able to slip inside unnoticed and hear the voice of the woman he had been following for so long. Maybe tonight was his lucky night.

"Imagine living in a limbo between life and death, away from everything you've ever loved. That the sun never shines for you again while you are condemned to roam the nights like a savage beast. How I envy you mortals. Dying is simple. Living is hard. Yet in the end, death comes to you so easily. Death is the only certainty in a human's life. It waits around every corner, behind every door. The great irony of immortality is that you never escape death. You walk alongside it, for all eternity. You watch as it takes away everything you love."

Father Michael looked from the burning candles to her, "And you? Are you immortal?"

The redhead looked down. "I could die, but not like you. I don't have that blessing."

"Because you're a vampire?"

Uneasiness was written all over the redhead's face. "Yes."

Father Michael looked away. "Well then, I imagine that…a little garlic, a stake to the heart, things like that could work."

The vampire growled in anger, and her eyes began to glow blood red. "Do not mock my pain, Father." Baring her fangs to the older man struck fear in his heart, and he tripped and fell once again to the floor. Regaining her senses and looking at the large crucifix at the center of the altar, the vampire's eyes returned to their normal green shade. She knelt before the altar, praying in a quiet whisper. Father Michael tried to catch his breath, but all he heard was, "Forgive me, Father. This curse is like a disease. I can't always control myself." The young woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath in concentration.

The priest remained confused. "But if you're a vampire…how can you come in here…into the house of God?"

Sad emerald eyes looked at him. "I don't know. Perhaps…it's because I want to be saved… Save me, Father."

The priest sadly answered with all honesty. "I don't know if I can."

The vampire rose filled with anger and disappointment at the false façade that was God and his forgiveness. "Isn't God supposed to forgive all those who come to him? Aren't His doors open for all those who seek salvation? No matter how big the sin…the grace of God can redeem them. Or so it's said. Isn't that right? Answer me, Father!" By now the priest was cowering. He didn't know what to make of this night. Nothing had ever prepared him for something like this, and now he faced a cursed immortal being that was enraged and could finish him off in the blink of an eye.

"Yes," he whispered, hoping the vampire had heard his answer.

"I didn't choose this…" The vampire's voice softened as if remembering something from the past, "Someone cursed me… Three hundred years ago, I was attacked. My wife, Tara, and our unborn child were slaughtered…like animals." Father Michael saw devastation as unshed tears formed in the vampire's eyes. He was beginning to slowly understand that this poor condemned soul was worthy of an exception against all odds. The redhead continued, gazing off, seeing images only she could see, "They were everything I had…And now all I want is to join them in the afterlife. I don't want to keep living like this, but I can't die…not like this. I can't die with a damned soul. I need to save my soul, Father."

Father Michael looked away, hiding his own tears at hearing the last part of the vampire's confession. Just then, the vampire felt a sharp pain shoot through her whole being. The pain grew stronger as it settled to where her undead heart lay dormant. Images of an old man in agony filled her head, and she stumbled trying to make her way out of the church. The priest grew concerned and stood up, trying to help.

"What's going on? Are you-?"

"I have to go…" The vampire seemed breathless, struggling to stand straight.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll come back, Father." Clutching her chest and slowly walking away, the redhead pointed to the priest. "I need you to help me."

"I don't even know your name!" the priest shouted in an effort to get the vampire's name, which he realized he hadn't gotten through the entire confession.

"Willow! Willow Rosenberg!" she yelled as she dashed out of the church in a hurry to reach the familiar man she saw in her vision.

* * *

An ambulance pulled up to Trinity Hospital, and the paramedics rushed to help the man who had just suffered a heart attack. One of the paramedics was trying to clear the way.

"Make way! Make way! We have a patient with a cardiac emergency!"

"Make way! Come on, people, move! Let's go! Let's go!"

Tara heard the paramedics yelling and immediately rushed to help. "When was the attack?"

"About half an hour ago. He comes in and out of consciousness."

Tara made quick mental notes. "Is he allergic to any medication? Do we have a contact? A family member?"

The paramedic looked at Tara and sadly answered, "It looks like he doesn't have anyone. He made the call himself. We found him alone in his garden, in his mansion."

Tara was checking for a pulse, and then checked his eyes, as the old man seemed to enter a short stage of consciousness. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Tara." His voice while exhausted was filled with joy, and it showed in his glazed, reddened eyes.

"Excuse me?" The blonde looked confused. She had never met this man before, but here he was in the ER knowing her name. Buffy was right, this was going to be one of those nights.

"My God…" the old man continued. "You're Tara Rosenberg." His memory flashed to the portrait painting of a beautiful blonde woman with scintillating blue eyes he had seen.

"No, I'm not her."

The old man nodded and smiled. He had found her. He had found Tara Rosenberg. After a whole lifetime of waiting, the woman was alive. His joy however was short-lived as his tired old heart gave out and his life drifted away. Tara hesitated for a moment, and a paramedic snapped her back to reality.

"We're losing him! We're losing him!"

Tara finally realized what was going on. "No. Get me the defibrillator. Now!" She began counting as she pressed on his chest trying to get his heart to beat.

The assistant tech came by. "It's ready."

Tara rushed and got it defibrillator ready, "Give me 200. Clear!"

"No response."

"Again. Clear!"

The paramedic saw Tara's efforts, but he himself saw it was leading nowhere. "Still no reaction. The patient is not responding."

Tara refused to let this man die, something about him pushed her harder. "Someone get me the adrenaline, please!"

One of the nurses handed the prepared syringe to her, and she plunged it into the old man's chest. Little did she know that miles away Willow Rosenberg felt that pain as she sped through the highway trying to reach the hospital. The redhead grimaced, but regained her focus as she sped past exits and swerved between cars. She pulled her Audi R8 to the hospital exit and ran the red light. She passed a few more streets and saw the hospital building. Quickly, she pulled up into their valet parking, but as she stepped out of her car she stood still for a moment, since she still felt slightly dazed. Unbeknownst to her, the man who had been spying on her at the church had followed her, just as he had been doing obsessively for months. He paid the valet and hurried inside to the hospital.

"He has to be here," she said more to herself, sensing out the old man from her vision. The redhead finally found the room in which the ill-fated man lay, but a nurse accompanied him.

"What are you doing here?" Anya asked startled by the fact that someone actually managed to sneak by her.

The redhead barely acknowledged her presence. "I didn't mean to scare you." Returning her attention to the man on the hospital bed, Willow failed to notice Anya adjusting her nurse's outfit to seem more provocative.

The blonde leaned closer invading the redhead's space. "Do you know if the patient has any allergies?" Her voice was undeniably sultry, and Willow found it sickening.

A young man, who Willow assumed to be the doctor, walked in. "Anya!"

"What? I was checking out the patient's vital signs. But there's been no change." Dr. Finn looked very displeased, and Anya took this as her cue to leave before things got worse.

"Are you a relative of Mr. Giles?" His tone was cold and indifferent.

Willow continued to look at Giles with endearment before answering. "He's my father."

"I'm sorry." Dr. Finn sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Mr. Giles suffered an ischemic cardiomyopathy due to an acute myocardial infarction. A heart attack. His heart is weak and can't pump blood like it used to."

Willow's gave the doctor a chilling stare. "How much time does he have?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Riley did his best to answer, "If he responds well to the treatment, he could recover."

"And if not?"

"It's hard to say, but…" Willow turned her back to him and walked towards an open window. He had seen this many times before—relatives living in denial. Knowing there was nothing left to say, Riley decided it was best to leave the redhead with her father.

As soon as Dr. Finn cleared out, Willow closed the door and the blinds over the tiny window so no one could see inside. She walked over to Giles' bedside and took the patches off his chest. Concentrating, she gathered her magic from long ago. In her mind's eye she reached with her magic into his chest and forced his weakened heart to beat as if it were a few years younger. The process was taxing on her since she hadn't used magic in over three centuries, and it was physically manifesting itself not only on her, but around her as well. Lights flickered and walls shook.

Down the hall, in the woman's bathroom, Tara had been washing her face trying to forget what a crazy night it had been, when she felt the walls and everything around her shake and the lights flicker for no reason. This was Texas, after all. There were not supposed to be earthquakes here.

Tara continued to stare at her reflection. _Seriously what is wrong with me?_ She was beginning to think her night shifts were taking a toll on her, or that she needed a long vacation. That old man had called her Tara Rosenberg. _He looked at me as if he knew me._

In Giles' room, Willow exerted the last of her magic to restore what little life she could into the man she came to love so dearly. His almost lifeless body seized, his eyes fluttered open, and he gasped for air. Giving all she had, Willow finally let go and collapsed into a nearby couch. Giles regained consciousness and stared at Willow in disbelief. The monitors showed the old man's improved vitals, but the displeased look in his eyes made Willow cower, only slightly. Giles' eyes grew gentle and spoke the one word that he knew would make all the difference in the world.

"Tara." He remembered the painting and the nurse who tended to him in his hour of need; they were both one and the same. "I saw her…" Willow stared at Giles with grief in her eyes. "She's here," the old man continued. "Tara is really here."

"I saw her, Willow. It was her. It was Tara."

Willow couldn't stand this; her broken heart couldn't take it. The old man was probably delusional. "You had a dream, Giles." Tears filled her eyes as she thought of the false hope he had given her. "Just rest, go to sleep. Your heart is still weak, and you need to build your strength. I was able to buy you a little time."

Giles' face grew stern. "I don't want you playing God with me, Willow."

"I need you alive. I need you strong. You're all I have left, and I refuse to sit back and watch you die."

Giles smiled sadly at the ageless vampire, "I was with you for as long as I could be, but I've grown old and I have to go. It's the rule of life. We all live and die."

"That damned rule doesn't apply to me, Rupert." The vampire was upset, and her eyes had turned red at the mention of people living and dying. She knew this already, she'd seen it, but she had been a helpless bystander for over three centuries. "You know I have the power to keep you here with me. You can't leave me, Giles." Her gaze softened and her eyes returned to their normal green. "I can't lose you too."

Rupert knew his time was nearing. "That decision isn't mine, or yours to make."

"Giles…what will I do without you?"

"Look for her. Find Tara and be happy with her."

* * *

The incoming emergencies at Trinity Hospital seemed to never end that night. Walking out of the bathroom, Tara saw another major emergency unfold. Nurses quickly gathered to help tend to a young man wounded by a gunshot. A girl, who Tara assumed was his friend or girlfriend, was screaming covered in blood, pushing against the nurses as the young man screamed in agonizing pain.

"Miss you need to calm down! Someone get her out of here!"

Another nurse was holding down the bleeding patient, "Young man, I need you to calm down!"

"What's going on here?" Tara asked trying to make herself useful and moving the girl out of the way.

"Two gunshots to the abdomen. He's losing too much blood! Prepare for a blood transfusion!"

The girl Tara had moved out of the way pushed against the nurses and started screaming again. "No! Leave him alone!"

Riley's temper got the best of him. "I said get her out of here!" Tara quickly grabbed the girl and pulled her away from the room. The girl hit her and screamed some more. Crossing paths with Anya, she figured the other blonde would offer assistance. That hope was lost when Anya rambled that the young man was a celebrity and figured helping him would guarantee him sleeping with her.

Dr. Finn grew impatient with the rambling blonde. "Anya! Prepare for the blood transfusion now!" He turned to the young man who was bleeding profusely. "I need you to calm down." The hospital staff quickly prepped a room for surgery. Meanwhile, someone had notified the media, and now reporters wanting to know about the rap artist and his condition barricaded the hospital. The hospital took immediate action and put the hospital on lockdown for the safety of their staff and patients.

Willow's keen hearing picked up the chaos that was going on around her, but she was too engrossed in keeping watch over Giles. She heard camera flashes and police sirens, but she tried ignoring them. _Curse this damn sensitive hearing._ A strong smell of rich blood engulfed her senses, and she fought the urge to follow it to the source. The smell of blood was so strong she could practically taste it.

 _Get it together, Rosenberg. Maybe a walk outside will help. This hospital is filled with sick and injured people. I just need fresh air._

Taking her own advice after making sure Giles' vitals were still fine, Willow silently walked out of the room. Stepping into the hallway, she realized this was a horrible mistake since the whole hospital reeked of blood. She continued walking, but the further she walked, the stronger the smell was getting. She felt herself getting dizzy from the craving; her body ached for the taste of fresh blood. Willow refused to give in to the beast inside and so she held on to the wall as she made her way down the halls, trying to find her way out of the hospital. Had she bothered looking to her right, she would have seen Tara escorting another young lady to a room.

Tara led the scared young woman to a vacant room where she cleaned the dried blood from her arms and face. "Did those men hurt you?" The young woman couldn't speak, but she shook her head in response. "No. Okay. Are you hurt?"

"N-no." The reply was a bare whisper.

"This isn't your blood?"

The girl began to cry and shook her head. Tara rubbed her back, and the girl looked at her with tearful brown eyes, her curly brown hair matted with dry blood. "Okay, I'm going to take your blood pressure and make sure that you're okay." The brunette simply nodded and let Tara take care of her.

Willow wandered down the hospital hallways, the stench of blood tormenting her. _I should have gone home after I found out Giles would be okay._

Just then the smell of blood got stronger as a male nurse pushed a stretcher with a deceased young man on it. His lifeless eyes were open, and blood oozed out of the scratches on his face and the bullet hole on the side of his skull. Willow leaned against the wall, but the nurse figured she was just queasy from seeing a dead body. He couldn't have been more wrong. Her body screamed to feed on the blood pooling on the stretcher. She closed her eyes, as she knew they'd be blood red in color by now. Her fangs pricked her lips on the inside wanting to pierce flesh to feed on.

 _Focus! I'm not an animal! I can control this! Please, God, have mercy on me! Help me!_

The redhead barely realized that the nurse and the stretcher were gone. Her fangs had retracted, so she assumed her eyes had returned to their normal color as well. She slowly continued to walk hoping she would not have anymore bloody encounters.

* * *

Willow's stalker, the man with the scarred face, saw the commotion happening on the outside of the hospital. He looked around to see if he could find a way inside and saw that one of the doctors was giving a statement. That was his window of opportunity to sneak into the building. Passing the first set of double doors, he was stopped by the head of security.

"Where are you going?"

The stranger smiled slightly. "I have to go in."

The security guard looked at the stranger suspiciously. He was dressed in ragged clothes, was wearing a tattered hat and sunglasses at night. "That's fine, but where are you going?"

"I came to see someone who works here."

The guard became more suspicious of this man since his attire and his vague answers didn't seem to add up. "Who did you come to see?"

"Honestly, I have an emergency. I have to go in."

"So, you're sick?" the guard mocked the strange man despite the scar on his face. ""You don't feel well? Well buddy, if you want to come in here, you have to take off that hat and those shades."

The stranger looked at the guard firmly. "No. I can't."

A second security guard approached. Unlike his comrade, he was much more polite. "Sir, unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask that you leave this facility. You can't come through here. We're on lock down, so I must ask you to leave."

The stranger looked as though he accepted this, but as the security guards let down their defenses, he tried to push past them.

"You can't come through!"

"I have to go in there!"

"We said you can't come in!" With that said both guards shoved the stranger out of the hospital doors, not knowing that two gunned men had already slipped past them to finish the job they had started.

* * *

Tara had finished cleaning up the young rapper's girlfriend who'd she learned was named Mia. She knew the young girl was worried about her lover and was terrified of what would happen. The blonde took Mia's hand and looked into the girl's brown eyes, "Tell you what. I'll take you to see your boyfriend, so you know he's okay. But you have to promise not to say anything, or I can get in trouble." The brunette hugged Tara and whispered thank you over and over until the blonde expressed that oxygen was becoming an issue.

Together they walked to the recovery area of the hospital. One of the doors had a patient's name, RYAN SANTARELLO, on it. Stepping inside, the girl cried silent tears, and Tara quietly pulled up a chair for her to sit in. "You can't stay here for too long. Okay? I'll come in and get you once my shift is over."

The brunette sat silently watching her boyfriend and listening to the monitors beeping. Tara picked up his chart and thanked whichever angel watched over her that she was assigned to watch over this patient. Now it would be a lot easier to allow Mia to sit with Ryan. She admired young love, and, in a way, she envied the young couple. She wished she had someone to love, but she just as quickly pushed those thoughts aside as she caught Anya slipping into the room.

"Anya, what are you doing here?"

"Better question. What is _she_ doing in here? You know she's not supposed to be here."

"I let her come in. Besides, Dr. Finn assigned me this patient. Did you stop by to actually be useful or to drool over the celebrity?"

Anya rolled her eyes, but Tara ignored her as she continued writing her notes down. As Tara was about to finish with the notes, she heard Mia screaming. Both blondes looked up and saw two dark men in black hoodies with guns pointed at them. The tallest of them yelled. "Shut her up! Shut her up!"

The other gunman had pulled Mia in front of him with a gun pointed to her head and a hand over her mouth to muffle her screams.

"I said shut the bitch up!"

Anya panicked and screamed when the other man with the gun approached her. Tara tried remaining calm, while also trying to shield her co-worker with her own body.

"Shut up! Shut up!" the man yelled.

Tara tried reasoning with the man. "Okay! Okay! We'll do what you want, but put the gun down."

Tara's efforts were useless as Anya kept screaming in fear while Mia kept fighting to get free. Down the hall, Willow heard the screaming and a muffled struggle. Looking around, she saw no one around so she followed the voices.

"Shut your mouth, bitch, or I'll shut it for you!"

The shorter gunman paled slightly. This wasn't what he came to do. "I'm not here to kill women!"

"I don't care! I'll do it then! Everyone here is gonna die!"

Despite a gun being pointed straight at her, Tara tried her last efforts to reason with the thug, "Look, the police are outside. If you start shooting, getting out of here is going to be impossible."

The gunman got irritated and hit her in the face with the gun, splitting her lip. "Shut up!"

Anya was trembling now, she had never in her life been so terrified of anything, and now she feared her life would end in this hospital. "Tara, don't try to play the heroine, or they're going to kill us."

Mia feared for the nurse who didn't need to suffer any of this. "Just leave them alone!"

The taller gunman took his shades off and looked straight at Mia. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Huh, bitch?"

Willow finally saw the room where two men were holding the girls at gunpoint. Her emerald green eyes caught sight of the one woman she thought she would never see again. Tara. Her senses kicked in, this was no time to reminisce. She had to do something. She sped up and grabbed the thugs up and snapped him away from the girls throwing him to the far end of the hallway where he crashed into some utility carts. The second guy ran at Willow, but she flipped him over the nurse's station. Tara saw the first guy recover and reach out for his gun.

"Watch out!"

She watched in horror as the redhead stood there and the thug emptied out the entire gun's clip on her. Tara looked petrified, yet their redheaded savior seemed unmoved by being pierced by all those bullets. Both culprits stared at her in disbelief, as did Tara herself. Cops came charging in, knocking the suspects to the ground. An officer took a look at Willow. "Miss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." With those words, she left through the double doors that lead outside, unaware that Tara was trying to follow her.

Riley caught up to the blonde who suddenly felt very irritated by his presence. "Thank God, you're alive!" His comment seemed sincere, but Tara paid him no mind as she kept staring at the double doors.

Anya, being dramatic as ever, threw her arms around Riley, "They almost killed me. I was so scared."

Willow checked herself over. Stupid mortals and their guns. At least her black jacket covered her damaged top that had been punctured by bullets. She quickly made her way out of the hospital with her mind filled with thoughts that had nothing to do with the shooting. She'd seen her. Giles was right. Tara was alive. After so long her undead heart felt like it could beat again, but…even if she is identical in image.

… _She still might not be my Tara._

"That woman saved my life. They shot at her, but nothing happened. She stood there and took the bullets as if it was nothing." Tara knew she sounded crazy, but she also knew what she'd seen. She even checked the hospitals walls. She was right. The bullets had struck the woman.

 _Then how did she survive?_

Anya looked at Riley. "Tara's lost her mind."

Tara rushed through the same double doors that the redheaded woman had left through. Riley grew concerned, but he figured she just needed some air. This night had been hectic on everyone. His entire staff was on edge.

Willow was walking towards her car when she heard footsteps quickly catching up to her. Although the bullets didn't kill her, it didn't mean she didn't feel pain, or that she wouldn't be sore for a few days. Pretending she was fine and unharmed, she turned around and saw Tara slow her steps before finally stopping in front of her. Her long blonde hair framed those delicate features Willow adored so much. Sapphire eyes shone brightly despite how dark it was outside. Willow could clearly make out those rosy lips that she'd once upon a time spent hours kissing; they tempted her so much. Her eyes landed on the cut on Tara's bottom lip from where she had been struck, leaving behind a thin trail of blood. Dressed in just plain green scrubs and a white sweater, Willow still found her to be the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on. Even after three hundred years, this woman could still take her breath away and make her melt with those deep pools of blue.

"Tara." Willow caught herself saying the name, but the girl in front of her heard it. Instinctively, Tara reached for the gold necklace around her neck as she kept looking into those deep emerald eyes. She didn't know what it was, but those eyes, that face, everything about this woman felt so familiar. She felt a strong urge to kiss her, like if it was second nature to her and it had happened a thousand times before.

"I'm-" Tara was so hypnotized by the woman in front of her, that she didn't realized she had pulled on her necklace too hard until the chain snapped. The necklace fell to the ground and both women immediately bent down to pick it up. Their hands touched, and Tara felt a spark she had never felt before. In that split second, she felt alive, and she craved to know what it would feel like to have this woman's touch all over her.

 _Okay, Tara, get a hold of yourself. Could you sound any more like a sex deprived pervert?_

Their eyes met once again, and they both became lost in each other. Willow saw flashes of the past, when she had courted her wife and took her on their first date. She had gone behind her back and bought her a rose. Those were times she loved and yet hated to remember because they reminded her of what she lost. She was almost thankful when Tara looked away, breaking the trance. Without thinking much about it, the redhead tried to reach out and wipe the blood away from Tara's lip.

 _Her lips feel as soft as I remember._

Another memory, this time of their first kiss long ago. They were out for a moonlit walk on the cobbled streets of their old hometown.

"Tara." Riley called out running out of the hospital looking for the blonde. Tara turned toward the sound of his voice, but only for a moment. Yet, that moment was enough. When Tara turned back again, the mysterious redhead was gone.

 _I wonder if she saw what I saw. Is it even- no, I'm just exhausted. This night has been crazy._

"Tara. Are you okay?"

The blonde kept ignoring him, and that frustrated him very much. It seemed to him as if she was looking for someone. "Who are you looking for? Do you realize how dangerous it is for you to be outside? Especially after what happened!"

She turned away from him. Leave it to Riley to think he knows everything, yet understands nothing but cold hard science.

"Let me see. What happened to you?" His efforts were in vain, the blonde simply walked away from him.

* * *

 _Tara. She's alive. Death couldn't keep her from me._

Willow walked to her car aware that someone was following her. She decided to lead her stalker astray. The vampire kept walking, leading her stalker to an abandoned parking lot behind vacant warehouses. It was in her predatory nature to kill whenever she felt the slightest bit threatened, but this mere mortal wasn't worth her time.

The disfigured man followed Willow into the parking lot. However, no one was there. It seemed like in an instant Willow had dematerialized and vanished into thin air. He searched everywhere, but he couldn't find the object of his obsession. Willow reappeared at a rooftop from where she could see the crazed man looking for her. She didn't understand his obsession with her, didn't know where it came from, and quite honestly didn't care.

 _I've gone a century without killing in order to save my soul. I've waited for a night like this when I could see her once again. It would be so easy and simple to kill you, or anyone, but I've buried my bloodlust for her._

Willow vanished once again leaving the man searching for her. He could have sworn he saw movement on the top of one of the roofs of the buildings close by, but he still couldn't understand how the woman could have reached that place. He continued searching the parking lot for her, but soon he understood his target had escaped had to let her be for the time being, but he wouldn't give up. He would find Willow Rosenberg, for only she could help him. The night was fading, and the day wasn't gentle with him so he retreated to his trashed old apartment where he would wait for night to come again.

Willow walked the luminescent city streets. She had never actually taken the time to walk the city since she mostly spent her time isolated from everything and everyone. Walking down Center Street, the redhead admired the lights. For once, she simply sat down on one of the benches and admired the murals that you could see off the highway. Looking to her left, she could see the new buildings that adorned the downtown area and that everyone raved about. The redhead shook her head; she had to get her car before it got towed away. The walk to the hospital wasn't long, but she encountered many girls who promised her a good time and a night filled with pleasure. She said nothing and continued on her way. Reaching the valet station she gave the man her ticket and paid him giving him a large tip when he brought her car. Getting in, she quietly drove away, following the speed limits for the upcoming drive.

She tried focusing on driving, but everywhere she looked she saw Tara. She saw her on billboards, posters, and the drivers next to her at red lights. This was insane. They didn't even share a kiss, not even an embrace. She could hear her voice from so long ago call her name, like a ghost making itself known once again.

 _Willow…_

 _Tara. It's you. You've come back to me. I control my thirst for blood, for you. Always for you, Tara. I could let myself lose control…let my instincts take over and unleash this beast inside of me. That would be so easy to do, but nothing in my life is easy. I've grown used to difficulties and living in darkness.  
_

* * *

Father Michael sat in the confessional listening to Willow. "Today time stood still, Father. And all of eternity became a second when I saw her. Giles was right. Tara is alive."

Father Michael became confused. "How is it possible that she is alive?"

"She's not my Tara. She's not Tara Rosenberg. Don't you see, Father? God gave her back to me."

A small smile crossed the priest's face. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'm not sure. I want to be with her, but I can't condemn her to live in darkness. I can't tie her to me, not like this."

"Will you see her again? Are you going to tell her who you are?" The priest waited for an answer and received none. He looked to the other side of the confessional and saw it empty. He knew this must be devastating for his new friend, but he also knew that the decisions that lay ahead would not be easy to make.

* * *

Anya waltzed into Giles' room as Tara checked his vitals and wrote them down on his chart. "Check it out. This stiff is the father to that sexy vixen who saved our lives. What was her name? Oh yeah, Willow. You know he's my soon to be father-in-law. Father-in-law thank you so much for choosing this lousy hospital to come and die in."

Tara sighed and shook her head. "Anya, have a little more respect, will you?"

"My my, jealous, aren't we? What's the matter? Scared I might take that little redhead away from you?"

"Anya, last I checked you weren't a lesbian, and you've been trying to get into Riley's pants since you started working here!"

Anya pushed her luck some more knowing there was something eating away at the other blonde. "Just admit it. You want her! You fell for those piercing green eyes and those dark clothes that made your kitten wake up and purr, sister."

Tara set the chart down. Okay, she had felt something, but she wasn't going to give into Anya's game. "I saw the bullets hit her. I saw it!"

"Just like you saw Mrs. Broccoli smile at you? Face it, Tara, you're due for a vacation and you need to get laid!"

Tara rolled her eyes and left the room to finish her shift and go home.

* * *

If there is one thing that Willow was grateful for was the ability to still be able to see a sunrise, even if it was through a theater screen. She missed it. She missed being outside during the day, without being confined to the blanket of nightfall, but all of that was taken from her. Punching some numbers into a keypad, a fridge opened and she took a small pouch labeled "Pig's Blood" from it. Puncturing a hole into it, she poured the thick red content into a wine glass and drank from it as she looked at the eternal portrait of her lost and returned lover. Looking back, the portrait did little justice to the actual beauty of the woman, but it had helped keep the memory alive for so long.

* * *

Father Michael kneeled before the high altar and began to pray, "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not let us fall into temptation, and deliver us from all evil. Give me a sign, Lord. You who washed us of our sins with your blood, give me a sign that Willow Rosenberg is worthy of salvation."

Hanging his head low, the priest missed as one of the wounds on Christ on the crucifix began to bleed. A thin red stream of vibrant blood poured from his side wound and flowed down his side all the way down. A single drop of blood fell onto a lit candle and extinguished the flame with a sizzle. The priest looked up at the crucifix with tears in his eyes as his prayers had been answered with a clear sign from God himself. He would help Willow, for she had earned the right to be saved.

* * *

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.


	2. Saying Goodbye Once Again

Disclaimer: Again I own nothing except twisting of the plots. The song _Summertime_ is by NKOTB.

Chapter II: Saying Goodbye Once Again

 _A happy couple walked along the cobblestone path. They held hands and shared smiles oblivious to the rest of the world around them. The shier of the two hid behind her long blond hair while her embroidered blue dress accented her curvaceous figure quite nicely, much to her partner's pleasure. The blonde's blue eyes shone with such innocence and laughter at the funny faces her companion was making. Her redheaded companion, not one to be restricted to the fashion of the era that commanded women to wear only dresses and skirts, wore beige trousers with a silk long sleeve shirt and a red vest. Her long red hair was done in a ponytail. As the couple continued walking, the blonde became distracted by one of the stands nearby. The redhead used this distraction to buy a rose from an old lady at the corner of the street. The blonde walked away from the stand and looked at the redhead knowing she was up to something. The redhead just smiled and looked at her with gleaming emerald eyes._

" _Willow, what did you do?"_

" _I am fairly certain I have no idea what you are talking about."_

 _The blonde smiled and took the redhead's hand, "Willow…"_

 _Willow smiled, pulled the red rose she hid behind her back and handed it to Tara, "I just wanted to get you something…to show you that I love you."_

 _Their eyes locked and Tara didn't know what to say, she knew what she wanted to do, but it wasn't seen as proper in public. Willow smiled at her as she reached up and cupped her cheek, "I am so incredibly happy with you."_

 _Tara blushed at the confession, "I'm incredibly happy with you too, Willow." Willow leaned it, her eyes half closed and her lips so close Tara could honestly taste her sweet breath on her lips._

" _Kiss me…" Tara didn't bother looking around her; the streets were practically empty at that hour. Their lips met, and while the kiss was chaste it conveyed all the loved and devotion they held for each other._

 _Then something changed. Willow's body became tense. Tara felt it and pulled away. There, in front of her, stood a male vampire fangs bared and eyes glowing red. Tara's eyes widen as her hand reached for Willow. Where was Willow? The redhead had disappeared. An immediate panic surged in her heart as she pushed him off and screamed._

Tara woke up badly shaken up from her nightmare. Damn it! She'd dozed off again. She was lucky to be in Mrs. Thompson's room since no one would find it strange for her to spend a prolonged amount of time there to begin with. After checking her watch she realized she hadn't slept through much of her shift, her nightmare simply disoriented her beyond belief. Leaving her patient's room she went to the nurse's station and left work an hour early. This simply wasn't her night, or maybe working the graveyard shift wasn't for her anymore. Whatever the reason was, she was losing sleep and she couldn't stand those vivid dreams. She didn't mind the dreams involving kissing a certain redhead—she certainly would like to see a lot more of that—she simply detested the fanged fiends who made guest appearances.

Walking into the kitchen of her shared apartment, Tara saw Buffy jamming away to _Summertime_ by New Kids On The Block. Tara laughed at her friend as she replayed the song louder this time.

"Don't you think it's a little too early to be listening to music that loud?"

"I can't hear you." Buffy laughed, grabbed her cereal spoon and began singing, " _Do you remember? Or should I rewind, to that summer when you caught my eye. I played it cool, the weather was hot. You had the beauty and the beach on lock_. Come on, Tara! Sing!"

Tara rolled her eyes, "No."

Buffy continued singing into her spoon, " _With your flip flops, half shirt, short shorts mini skirt, walkin' on the beach so pretty, you wasn't lookin' for a man when you saw me in the sand, but you fell for the girl from the city._ Come on, Tara! Sing! _Girl, you know you did_." Both Buffy and Tara laughed and, finally, Tara gave in.

" _I was like 'Hey girl, can I get your number?_ '"

Buffy cheered. "Go, Tara!"

Tara went on, " _I remember what you told me too, 'Don't call after ten', but you know that I did 'cause I couldn't stop thinking 'bout you."_

Buffy took over for the chorus earning stifled giggles from Tara. "Come on, sister, you're up."

Tara tried her best not to laugh for the verses she had to sing, " _Do you remember, I'll never forget touching your body all soaking wet. The water was cool; the feeling was hot, kissing on you while the ocean rocked_."

Buffy twirled her spoon as Tara sang the next verse, "So much for Miss Innocent."

Tara's voice got a little serious, " _And now I'm like, 'Hey girl don't you know I miss it, and I wonder if you miss it too.' Never thought it would end 'till it did, now I'm here and I can't stop thinking 'bout you_."

Buffy whistled and took over for the remainder of the song as Tara laughed serving herself some cereal. Finally Buffy turned down the music and looked at her friend who looked like she was worn out tired.

"How was work last night? I didn't mean to scare you with the phone call, but I was worried. You know me and my dreams."

Tara smiled at her friend, "I know. Well, aside from helping a heart attack patient and a patient coming in with gunshot wounds, I almost died in a shooting at the hospital."

The petite blonde almost choked on her orange juice, "What do you mean you almost died in a shooting?" Taking a closer look at her friend, Buffy finally saw her busted lip. "Are you okay?"

The taller blonde nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"How do you feel?"

Tara didn't know how to answer that question, "I'm alive…that counts for something, right? Let's just say that a beautiful angel saved me."

"An angel? No, sweetie, this calls for a tarot reading. Angel. Shmangel. We have to do a reading!" Tara was trying to eat her cereal as Buffy tried to convince her that a reading would answer all her questions about her mysterious savior, "Think about it, Tara, there has to be a meaning to this shootout. This whole situation is too weird. I mean the dream, the patients, the shooting, it _all_ ties in. I mean, come on, Tara, please! What if this is it?! What if this is your Princess Charming? I need to know if this is the woman who is going to steal my best friend's virginity!" Tara spit out her cereal.

"Oops, kinda went overboard there."

Tara blushed profusely distracting herself by cleaning the kitchen island, "Buffy! My sex life is none of your business."

"Sweetie, you don't have a sex life so I _can_ and _will_ make it my business." Tara blushed three shades darker and ran upstairs to her room. Buffy let out a deep breath and cleaned up the kitchen.

Tara stepped into her bathroom and stripped herself of her green scrubs and stepped into a warm relaxing shower. As the water soaked her aching muscles, flashes of the previous night's events replayed in her mind. The one constant thing in all those flashes was the images of the beautiful redheaded woman with those piercing green eyes. Once she had finished showering, Tara stepped out and wrapped her towel around her. Looking in the mirror she saw her injured lip and instantly felt a familiar yet invisible presence; it felt like her mother.

"Mom, I've had such an insane night, but I guess you already know that." Stepping out of the bathroom and into her room, the blonde continued talking to the invisible presence around her, "That woman…there's something about her eyes, her touch…almost as if I know her." Tara picked up her necklace and carefully looked at the gold medallion on it. It looked like an ancient face resembling two hidden faces with wide feral eyes. Holding the heirloom closer to her, she lay down in bed, exhausted and closed her eyes.

 _Tara was sitting next to Mr. Giles who still lay in his hospital bed. He gave her a bright smile and the white hospital room walls seemed to nearly glow. He looked over to the opposite wall urging her to look there too. The redhead stood there wearing a nice tailored suit holding her hand out for Tara to grasp. They shared a knowing smile, and the blonde looked down at herself. Somehow her clothes had been replaced by an elegant white dress. A breeze picked up and Tara stood up looking at the smiling redhead, then down at her necklace. When she looked up again, her eyes met an open wall that led to a suddenly decaying hallway. The hallway darkened and went ablaze, images of that male vampire flashed before her. A demon broke through the ground and started crawling his way to the room where they were all trapped in. Still, the redhead continued to smile and look at her adoringly. The old woman from her other dream flashed before her too, and the image of Willow started to slowly burn._

" _I curse you."_

" _Tara." The male vampire called out._

" _I curse you."_

" _You're here." The male vampire smirked as she cried seeing Willow slowly burn in front of her. "You've always been here." His cold laugh grew louder and she screamed as she saw the redhead's body disintegrate into ash._

"No!" Tara sat up in bed sweating. "God, what is happening to me?"

* * *

A blond lanky young man in priest attire entered Father Michael's office. The elder priest was sleeping with his head resting on some open books sprawled all over his desk, his graying hair a complete mess. The blond priest was curious at the drawing and books that Father Michael had been looking at, many of them had fiends and the words "Vampire" and "Occult" were written all over the pages. His not so stealthy actions roused Father Michael from his sleep.

"Vampires."

Father Michael coughed, "What?" still slightly confused.

"I didn't know you were interested in the occult, then again you've always had these crazy liberal ideas. You know for a priest, you have some strange interests, my friend."

Father Michael started stacking up his books and reorganizing his desk, "You know what, Andrew? I think you need to find a new hobby. That way you can keep out of my business."

"Touchy. Touchy." Father Michael walked past him and left his office. Andrew picked up a few pages of notes he'd left behind and put them through the shredder.

* * *

Tara was keeping herself busy by preparing dinner. She had already marinated the chicken and was just preparing the potatoes, when she realized she was forgetting something.

"Rosemary, pepper, cayenne, what am I…of course, I'd forget the salt of all things." Reaching for the salt she sprinkled some on the potatoes and placed them in the oven.

"Oooh, something smells good!"

"Buffy, no sampling the food before dinner." Tara tried warding the smaller blonde with a wooden spoon.

Buffy made a pout and crossed her arms, "But, Tara, that's not fair. It smells so yummy!"

Tara rolled her eyes and opened the fridge, "You're worse than a kid, you know that?"

"You still love me!"

Buffy went off and set the table and once the food was ready, Tara served dinner. The girls ate and talked about their work and comfortable silence soon followed. Buffy knew her friend had something on her mind; she just didn't know what it was. Ever since coming home from work Tara had been a bit strange. Buffy assumed it was simply because of the shooting and all the commotion Tara had to deal with. Tara kept staring off into space as she cleared the table and the younger blonde was beginning to worry.

"Buffy."

The shorter blonde looked up as a strange look crossed her friend's face. "What's up, Tara?"

"Let's do a card reading?"

Buffy looked at Tara like a deer in headlights, "You sure?"

Tara nodded and Buffy scurried off to her room to get her deck and her book just to make sure she would make no mistakes. Tara sat in the living room in front of the coffee table. Buffy placed her deck face down and spread the cards.

"Okay Tara, let's find out if your heroine is really an angel or the devil incarnate. Pick a card and turn it around."

Tara chose a card from the middle and turned it over. It was one of the major arcana, THE TOWER. Buffy paled a bit, she knew what the card meant, but for her friend's sake she hoped it meant different. "You know what, pull another one."

"Buffy, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, of course I know what I'm doing. Now, come on. Focus your energy and pick a card."

Tara pulled a second card, THE LOVERS, another major arcana, however this card was upside down. The taller blonde noticed the look on her friend's face. "Okay, Buffy, what's up?"

"I could be wrong here, but this doesn't look good. The Tower and The Lovers are both major arcana. The Tower signifies sudden changes and that your plans will fail, it can even mean death."

Tara paled considerably remembering her earlier dream, "Well, the lovers came up. That's good, right?"

"Well, The Lovers is good, but it's upside down, so it's not so good. You sure she's not married?"

Tara sighed. She knew nothing about the mysterious redhead. For all she knew Willow could in fact be married. Besides, what was she truly expecting from a simply tarot card reading? "Thank you, Buffy." Tara sighed once again stood up and left a confused Buffy behind as she made her way upstairs to get ready for work.

* * *

Willow sat reciting poetry to a sleeping Giles, the only other sound besides her voice were the noise coming from the monitors surrounding his hospital bed. Giles woke up and saw Willow with a book open.

"Willow? You've come to say goodbye, with poetry?"

The redheaded vampire smiled, "I'm not here to say goodbye. You're going to be fine, you'll see."

"You have to take care of my moon flowers; they're very delicate and need proper care."

Willow grabbed Giles' hand gently and felt his fading strength, "You're going to be fine and get out of here, you'll see. Most importantly, you'll be able to take care of your flowers yourself, because I'm horrible at gardening."

Giles smiled sadly, "No, Willow…I'm just so tired…"

"I saw her, Giles. I saw Tara. She's alive." Willow's smile shone in her eyes, something Giles thought he'd never see.

"Your wife, Willow, she's back in your life again." Giles' tired and faded green eyes shone with hope for the vampire who took care of him for so many years.

"You know I can't be close to her, Giles. I'm nothing but danger to her—night and blood. Everything I touch, I destroy."

"No, Willow, you're wrong. You saved me and gave me a home for almost sixty years. You took me in when I was an orphan, raised me and took care of me as if I were your real son."

Willow's eyes filled with tears, "And then you were like my brother, my father…"

"We all have a destiny, Willow, and your destiny is tied to hers."

* * *

Anya was sitting at the nurse's station looking at a dazed Tara, "You know she's here, right?"

"What? Who?"

"Your redhead, she's here, visiting _my_ father-in-law. You know I never found women to be appealing, but I'm starting to wonder. Do you think she's amazing in bed?" Anya's question flared Tara's anger and the blonde stormed off to see if the redhead indeed was visiting Mr. Giles.

Reaching the patient's room, she saw Willow sitting in a chair reciting poetry to her sleeping father. The redhead seemed so relaxed, and Tara took a moment to just admire her from a distance. The redhead's voice seduced her as she heard John Boyle O'Reilly's verses pouring from her lips. Was it possible to fall in love with a complete stranger? Tara's mind began to wander to the redhead's lips, her hair, and her soft hands.

* * *

Tara continued to listen as Willow spoke in verses of love and devotion. The more she heard, the more in love she fell with the girl in the room. As Willow spoke of kisses and embraces, Tara closed her eyes and desperately wondered how it would feel like to be in her arms.

Willow sensed Tara standing outside the room. Her perfume filled her senses. It had been so tempting to not have stopped in the middle of reciting poetry to talk to her sooner, but she felt Tara was enjoying it. Enough was enough; she craved to see her beloved's eyes even for a moment. She set her book down as she finished her last verse.

"Tara?"

In an instant the vampire was at the blonde's side and Tara was slightly startled. Tara took in some gulps of air not understanding how the girl had moved so fast. Maybe she had just spaced out for too long.

Emeralds met shinning sapphires, "Do you like poetry?" the redhead asked, "Have you heard of John Boyle O'Reilly?"

Tara completely disregarded the redhead's questions needing to tell her what was in her mind since the previous day. "Y-you didn't give m-me the chance to t-thank you for s-saving me last night." Tara cursed her stutter and hoped the redhead wouldn't joke about it. To the contrary Willow found it adorable and rewarded her with a loving smile.

"It would've been very tragic, if something had happened to you." Willow's answer made Tara's heart race. Tara could not only hear the sincerity in those words, but see it in the other girl's eyes.

Blue eyes stared into green, "I saw those bullets hit you…nothing happened to you."

Willow gave her a small grin, "But that's impossible, right?" the redhead opened up her black jacket and exposed her black pinstriped button shirt underneath, "See, I'm fine."

Tara remembered the kiss from her dream, the feel of her hand from the previous night and could no longer contain herself. Against her work ethic, she reached out and smoothed the non-existent creases of Willow's shirt, longing to feel what was hidden underneath. She dared to look into the other girl's eyes and those green eyes didn't give her a disapproving look. Instead the redhead smiled and Tara couldn't help but lean closer wanting to feel closer to the woman in front of her.

"Tara." Dr. Finn's voice sounded quite displeased and Tara quickly withdrew her hand away and looked at the doctor blushing profusely. Willow herself was quite bothered by the doctor who interrupted the quiet moment she was enjoying.

* * *

A frustrated landlord knocked on a tattered door. "Billy! Open the damn door!"

Willow's stalker opened the door cringing at the bright light. The landlord looked at him in disgust, Billy's appearance always made his intestines churn. His pale and scarred face was enough to give anyone nightmares. His red-rimmed eyes were glassy and the young man seemed dazed, his dark hair filthy and tousled.

"They left something at my apartment again for you. I told you not to order anymore packages if you can't receive them yourself. I don't know what the hell you do hiding here all day."

Billy closed the door in his face and opened the box he received. In the box was a smaller white box with a small ceramic locket. In the locket were two painted images, one was Willow. The rest of the box was filled with newspaper clippings that were roughly two hundred years old. The crazed young man raved to his pet rat about his discovery.

"It is her. It's Willow Rosenberg and my wait is finally over!"

* * *

In the late hours of the night, Father Michael sat at his desk doing endless research about vampires and anything else that could help him in saving Willow. Deep down he pitied the cursed creature, in his own mind he knew no one deserved such punishment, no matter who they were. He was writing the last of his notes when he saw Andrew trying to sneak in out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you want, Andrew?"

Surprised at being caught, the blonde young priest tried covering up for his intrusion, "More vampires? Seriously, Father Michael, you need a new hobby."

"And you need to stop making dramatic entrances." The blonde man laughed and held out an open box to his elder.

"This package arrived today. Can you guess what I found in it?" he said holding up one of the texts inside, "These strange old books that I think you'll find interesting."

* * *

Riley saw Tara looking at the redhead and fidgeting nervously. He didn't know why, but this made him dislike the redhead even more. Here he had done everything he could do to get the blonde's attention, and this girl shows up and suddenly Tara sees no one but her.

"I was explaining to Ms. Rosenberg the condition her father was in…" Tara knew she might get in trouble but she didn't care, those few moments with Willow seemed endless.

Dr. Finn came closer and gave her a cold look, "There are other patients in this hospital that need your care, Ms. Maclay."

Tara took a deep breath and excused herself leaving Willow and Riley alone. Willow watched her walk away not paying any mind to the doctor in front of her. She only decided to follow him into Giles' room when Tara was out of sight.

"Your father showed some improvement yesterday-"

Willow cut him off; she was already very irritated with this man, "I know."

"We can't explain how it happened, but today's tests show-"

"That he's gone back to critical condition; that there is nothing that can be done. You're going to tell me you're working on it and you're doing everything you can. Thank you, doctor, but you can save your explanations and quit wasting my time. Ms. Maclay was kind enough to give me a full report on my father's condition."

Dr. Finn felt very uncomfortable; no one had ever spoken to him like that, "Please, excuse me."

Willow stepped aside so the doctor could leave and looked at a dying Giles. She was tempted to keep him alive, to call on her magic to help him again. Seeing him there was unbearable. He was all she had since losing Tara and their child, and now she was losing him as well. She didn't think she could simply stand there and let Death come and take him away from her. Just as she was about to touch his chest, Giles reached and weakly grabbed her wrist.

"I want you to remember what I told you, Willow. I don't want you trying to save me. Leave these matters of life and death to God, and let him do his job as he sees fit…"

Willow silently nodded, knowing she couldn't voice such a promise.

* * *

Billy Ford sat on the rotting floor of his rundown apartment listening to his pet rat rattle in its cage. He cleaned and polished a handgun as he looked over all the pictures of Willow through the ages. He took a deep breath; he knew his efforts had to pay off. Willow had to save him; there simply was no other way.

He stood up and went to the rat cage and picked up the white hairball who was fidgeting nervously. He cooed trying to soothe it. The animal sensed danger, but it didn't know from where. Billy carried her to the other side of the room where he opened up a large aquarium tossing the white rate inside. A large yellow snake set its eyes on the white furry animal and before it could run, the snake snapped the rat.

* * *

The elder priest snatched the books and slammed them on his desk. His cold stare burned into the young man in front of him who still by all mean acted like a child.

"I thought the package was for me." the blond man's feigned innocence which earned him no compassion from Michael.

"It has my name written on it."

Andrew got nervous not knowing what to say, "Yes, but I thought it was for the church. Everything here is for everyone. Isn't it?"

"I bought these books with my savings money, Andrew. I have never touched the church's money and you right well know it!"

"Jeez, what a temper."

"Don't cross that line, Andrew, because even priests can lose their temper."

Andrew took two steps back at seeing how upset the elder priest was, "Now, Father Michael, control your anger. We're not little kids in a schoolyard, plus it's bad for your health." The young man took a closer look at the books, "Now tell me…What's your fascination with vampires anyways?"

Father Michael decided to have a little fun; he leaned in, "I'm writing a play about them, a musical to be exact." He patted Andrew on the shoulder, "And you, my dear Andrew, will star as a flamboyant vampire prince!" laughing wholeheartedly, Father Michael left the younger man behind.

Andrew seemed almost insulted, well, almost. He snooped around and saw that Father Michael had left his computer screen on. Looking at the browser history he was shocked and couldn't believe his eyes, this wasn't the Father Michael he knew.

* * *

Tara walked into Mrs. Thompson's room and saw Anya sitting there changing the bed sheets. "How is she doing?"

Anya being as insensitive as ever, "How else is she going to be? Vegetating as ever? Pretty soon she'll have broccoli coming out of her ears."

Tara still couldn't believe that someone like Anya had decided to become a nurse. She picked up Mrs. Thompson's chart and looked it over as always.

"You left my father-in-law by himself?" Anya asked, finally realizing Tara wasn't leaving.

"Riley is with him right now."

"You know what the other nurses are saying?"

Not really one to care about gossip, Tara simply humored her friend, "What?"

"That Ms. Sexy is very strange. She only visits at night."

Tara laughed, "You know she probably works during the day." Her eyes suddenly caught Mrs. Thompson moving, but Anya continued to ramble.

"I have no problem with that. I love being with night owls. Now you, Mrs. Broccoli? Do you like Ms. Sexy and Oh So Gorgeous? I bet if you were a lesbian, you would."

"Anya!"

Just then a groan came from the no longer comatose patient, her eyes opened and she tried to speak. Anya was confused and didn't know what to do.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Anya, she's waking up!"

* * *

Pulling up all the websites Father Michael had looked at, Andrew became obsessed with his own ideas.

"I knew it! I knew it!" His blue eyes glinted at his new discovery. One of the pages really drew his attention and he shook his head.

"He's a heretic! I knew it! He's a crazy heretic!"

Andrew quickly closed the browser windows and shut down the computer making sure Father Michael wasn't around. He straightened out the desk, turned out the light and left the office. These matters weren't for him to deal with alone. He needed help and he knew where to get it.

* * *

Willow continued keeping watch over Giles, constantly holding back and keeping her word to the old man. Suddenly Giles struggled to breathe and the vampire quickly got up and made a motion to do something, but Giles' words replayed in her head and therefore she did the only thing she could do.

"Someone help me! My father needs a doctor!" she pushed the red call button and ran to the nurses' station. By then a group of doctors and nurses had filled Giles' room and were making every effort to save the dying man. Willow watched helplessly as Death slowly took away another loved one from her, maybe not that instant, but she knew the moment was approaching.

* * *

Tara and two other nurses were checking on Mrs. Thompson. All her vitals checked out normal, the only request the patient had was to be given some water to drink. Once Mrs. Thompson was left under another nurse's care, Tara left as she felt a sudden feeling of despair in her chest. As she walked through the hallway she didn't understand where it was coming from. Such defeat, loneliness, all this sadness she felt, she knew it came from somewhere, but she didn't know the source. It wasn't until she saw Giles' being moved to the intensive care part of the hospital and Willow following close behind with tears and devastation clearly painted on her face that she understood. It didn't make sense but it had to be it.

The blonde took a moment to gather her wits. There was no possible way she was feeling what Willow was feeling. However, as much as she wanted to deny it she knew there was no other explanation. Slowly she made her way to the ICU of the hospital and saw Willow standing their completely torn apart. She could barely hear what the redhead was saying, but she didn't want to get caught eavesdropping.

"Giles…you old fool…why didn't you let me help you? If I had a choice you know I'd stay, but sadly it's almost sunrise." The redhead wiped tears from her eyes and touched the glass trying to reach out to the man lying on the hospital bed, "If Death comes and takes you before I return…May God bless you and welcome you with open arms."

Tara chose that moment to come out of hiding seeing that the other woman needed comfort; she herself felt her heart breaking for this woman, seeing her suffer.

Willow shed more tears, "I couldn't save him."

Tara pulled Willow into a warm embrace and held her. Willow was surprised at the smaller woman's strength, but nonetheless the embrace was amazing. Despite this grieving moment, Tara wouldn't trade it for the world. Every second she spent around this mysterious redhead the more she realized she was falling in love, yet deep in her heart it wasn't strange, it was oddly familiar…almost like it was meant to be. Tara stole a glance over and saw Riley giving her a disgusted look; sadly she tried to pull away from Willow's arms. Her efforts, however, brought them closer and Tara was a breadths part away from Willow's lips. She could taste the other girl's breath on her own. Dear God, it would be so easy to close those millimeters and taste those sweet lips she'd been dreaming of. The blonde fought her urges and instead lost herself in saddened green eyes.

"We have to respect the will of God." She said quietly hoping Willow would understand.

"God doesn't hear my prayers." The other girl's voice sounded almost bitter. Willow knew her time was running out and so she side stepped Tara and walked away.

"You're leaving?" Tara quietly whispered out to her, but the other girl didn't reply "You're not going to wait and see how your dad does?" Tara said, but Willow was already gone.

* * *

Willow lay in her coffin thinking as the daylight hours passed. She knew Death approached her beloved Giles and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Actually, there was, but she respected his wishes and there was nothing more to it. Now she lay alone in her chromed metallic coffin letting these thoughts consume her.

 _Life is a subtle lie; the only truth is that you never really live. Think about it. You start dying the minute you enter the world. Death is everyone's right, and life is their chore. Eternal peace is people's reward. So tell me, Father? Why this perpetual torture against fulfilling my destiny? Why have so much respect for something that God takes away so easily? Life has no value without death. Death is our constant watcher. It's death that makes life so precious. Living is hard, dying is easy, but life? Life is a mocking farce, harsh and full of pain. Eternal life is what I suffer eternally._

The connection she shared with Giles was severed. She shed silent tears knowing she'd lost another precious person in her life. What hurt more was that Giles died alone and she couldn't be with him in his last moments.

* * *

Tara had just finished showering. She paced around her room trying to straighten out her thoughts and wondering why Willow had left her father alone. Stopping in front of her mirror for a moment, she imagined talking to her mom, a presence that was always by her side lately.

"I know, mom. What kind of daughter leaves her dying father alone? Why do I think about her?" she lay in bed trying to sleep. "Why fall in love with her when there are other women out there? I don't know, mom, but I wish you were here." With those last words, Tara drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Going to work was a dread, especially with Mr. Giles gone, she was not likely to see Willow again. She was changing the linens in Mr. Giles' old room when a nurse was seen pushing Mrs. Thompson in a wheelchair. The old woman motioned the other nurse to stop and Tara looked up.

"Tara?"

"Mrs. Thompson."

"Some go while some of us stay. Who can understand the will of God?"

Tara's blue eyes looked down; she knew that no one knew. "Who says we're supposed to understand?"

Mrs. Thompson gave her a sad smile and motioned her nurse to push her away. Anya walked in and gave a slightly polite smile to the old lady. She looked at Tara and saw the gentle blonde looking miserable; not being one to be tactful she ran her mouth as usual.

"Hey, Tara. Guess now with her old man dead, Sexy Red won't be coming along anymore. I'm assuming you must be devastated."

The usually quiet blonde silently wished Anya would just disappear from her sight. She wanted to be left alone and not have to deal with her at the moment.

"You know she's not as great as she seems. I mean, she goes off, just like that, right when the old man is about to kick the bucket. The day nurses even told me they tried reaching her all day and she never showed up…" Anya continued to ramble oblivious that Tara had completely ignored her.

* * *

Willow found Tara in the hospital cafeteria. The blonde was a little taken aback by this, but also a bit upset. She didn't understand how someone could just let their father die alone. She wanted to be angry with the other girl, but she took one look at her and it all went away.

"What are you doing here?" was all the blonde managed to say.

"I came to say goodbye." Tara couldn't believe what she was hearing and a part of her wanted to beg the other girl to stay, but the redhead continued talking, "I know you did all you could to save my father. I wanted to thank you for that."

"I would've done it for anyone…It's my job." Tara couldn't stand this being goodbye and she let her anger get the best of her, "Look, I know it's none of my business, but your dad died this morning...alone. Where were you?"

Willow looked hurt and Tara walked away from her. Deep down Willow knew she was right, but because of what she was Willow couldn't be there. She would've given anything to have stayed by the old man's side. She knew the other girl wouldn't understand which is also why she knew that she had to stay away from her.

* * *

Not knowing where else to seek refuge Willow went to Father Michael. They both stood on the second floor of the church. Willow had opened her dark jacket and paced back and forth occasionally rubbing her temple for slight comfort.

"My father died this morning." She said it so quietly the priest almost missed it. She ran a hand through her long red tresses and looked blankly at nothing.

"May God keep him in his glory." Was all Father Michael could say.

"I couldn't be with him. Rupert…Giles became like a father to me, little by little. I adopted him when he was a baby. I watched him grow and wither away. There's nothing I wanted more than to die…but now, I want to keep living…for her. At the same time I don't want to hurt her."

Father Michael had no words for the vampire, being the honest man he was he let her know, "I have no words that can ease your pain, Willow. Try to pray. Come on, pray with me." The priest embraced the vampire who gave him a look of disbelief.

"I don't know if praying will be enough to rid me of this eternal stench of death, Father."

Unknown to both vampire and priest a spying, Andrew had heard what Willow had said.

* * *

Plush red couches offered no comfort on this night, then again nothing did. Willow sat at St. Bernard's Funeral Home waiting to receive Giles' ashes. She waited patiently and hoped the attendant didn't ask too many questions. A balding middle-aged man came with a mahogany box and a large black leather pouch.

"These are your father's ashes, Ms. Rosenberg." Handing the box over to the vampire, "We managed to retrieve some of your father's belongings from the hospital. Please, receive my sincerest and deepest condolences, Ms. Rosenberg." Willow took the pouch holding Giles' belongings from the man's hand. He excused himself and left her alone in the lobby.

* * *

 _Isn't she supposed to be at work too?_

Tara walked into the bathroom to answer her phone slightly irritated that her friend kept calling. "What's up, Buffy?"

"Girl, where have you been? I haven't seen you in two days!" the petite blonde sounded quite distraught and Tara suddenly felt horrible for avoiding her friend these past couple of days.

"I've been home…you just overslept." Tara tried to play it off, but she knew Buffy.

"Tara, I've known you since high school and we live together," the smaller woman took a deep breath. Buffy heard the exhaustion in Tara's voice, "You sound horrible, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Tara, I know you and I know when you get avoid-y. Come on, tell me what's wrong." Buffy heard Tara let out a deep breath.

"You were right…your cards were right…about everything. Buffy, this woman is so mysterious, almost like she's hiding something…Sometimes it seems like she's asking for help, but other times it's as if she's wanting to run away. Am I making any sense?"

"Sweetie, what does your heart tell you?"

"I'm not sure…it's like I feel a pull. I feel like I know her and she makes me feel things…"

"Dare I say Tara Maclay is falling in love?"

"I don't know, Buffy, but I'm starting to think so. Hey, I gotta run back to work, okay?"

"Okay, just let me know you're okay and stop disappearing."

"Alright, bye."

* * *

Willow pulled the contents from the leather pouch. She found Giles' glasses, his gold pocket watch, and his wallet. She opened the wallet and found pictures of them throughout the years. Her eyes filled with tears again. She didn't want to keep crying, but she missed him so much.

 _I'm going to miss you so much, Giles…_

* * *

Father Michael was preparing for morning mass when his young assistant walked in with a brass incense holder. The young boy kneeled at the altar and then walked away. Father Michael went about finishing his preparations when Andrew walked in again.

"So, now a church is like a CVS. Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week to whomever."

The elder priest looked at Andrew sternly, "And now, I'm guessing you're going to dedicate your time to bothering me."

"I saw you last night, confessing that creepy redheaded girl."

Father Michael looked away, but still approached Andrew, "You were spying on me?" the young man looked nervous, "Are you asking to get in trouble?"

"No. But, you know what you're asking for?" Andrew asked defiantly, "Excommunication."

"Don't you dare threaten me, Andrew. You're not the boss here."

"Well, someone has to put an end to this craziness. You're out of line and this isn't your church. You can't do whatever you want here. You have to follow the rules like everyone else!"

Father Michael turned his back to Andrew, "This is the house of God and he's the only one who is in charge here. Not me, not you, not even the Vatican. God doesn't have business hours for his faithful servants." With that said the old priest walked away and Andrew simply rolled his eyes. "Heretic" he whispered under his breath.

* * *

Billy walked into his apartment with a new pet rat. He knew he was close to getting what he wanted. Willow could save him and he knew it. He knew her secret and if he knew something about anyone with a huge secret, it's that they want to keep it that way. The crazed man placed his new rat in its cage and prepared to enact the latest ploy of his terrible plan.

* * *

Andrew carefully hid in Father Michael's office; he picked up the phone and dialed the operator.

"Operator? I need to make an international call." Andrew gathered his nerve and answered the person on the other line, "The Vatican."

* * *

 _I've grown used to living without light, to fight my predatory instincts and to live with death surrounding me. My curse has taken everyone I have ever loved, everyone I've held dear as close to my heart. Today I am forced to say goodbye once again._

Willow pulled up by the lake and walked along the glowing path until she made it to the pier. This was Giles' favorite spot throughout his entire life. She thought it was only fair that that place to be where his ashes were lay to rest. Here on this clear night, even in a city such as this, you could still see the stars at night. The cool breeze swept by and Willow opened the urn that contained his remains. As beautiful as the sight was it was a travesty as she dispersed his ashes which were carried away by the wind.

 _Goodbye, Giles. Goodbye, my friend._

* * *

 _Right when I thought I had nothing left and no one to fight for, life gave me back what I needed; it gave me back my love. Life gave me a new opportunity, almost as if it gave me the chance to cheat death this one and only time. Tara has come back to me. She's my reason to keep fighting. Could it be possible that after all this time destiny has a plan for us? That there was always one? Could it be that this love of ours is eternal?_

 _Tara._

 _All I want is to have you, but everything around me means danger for you, my love. How do I save us, Tara? How do I save you, love, from me?_

Tara closed the chart for RUPERT GILES, since it was marked DECEASED. She went to the medical records and decided to file it herself. Her mind was elsewhere and she really dreaded being at work at the moment. That file, the whole damn hospital, reminded her of Willow. Walking into the Medical Records room she went down the aisles so she could file the chart properly. Tara was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't notice that none other than Billy Ford had snuck into the room right behind her. He hid behind some cases waiting for his perfect opportunity. Just as she was about to put the chart away, Billy shoved her to the ground. Tara tried to scream, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her into a wall. The terrifying man approached her. Tara's heart pounded and raced in her chest. Was this it? Were her last moments of her life to be on the floor of this room? From the look in his eyes it seemed like the only possible outcome.

* * *

A/N: I'm hoping you've all enjoyed this update. Let me know what you think through a review or PM. Until next time.


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